[Ansteorra] Useless Swords

[jay yeates]

----Original Message-----
From: ansteorra-admin at ansteorra.org
[mailto:ansteorra-admin at ansteorra.org] On Behalf Of Marc Carlson
Sent: 2002, September 15, Sunday 18:10
To: ansteorra at ansteorra.org
Subject: [Ansteorra] Useless Swords


>From: "jay yeates" <jyeates at realtime.net>
>thirdly, shows the reality of combat in plate .. swords are useless,
>you want mass weaponry and "can-openers" (ie: a common modern pointed
>breaker bar from the hardware store (used for hole digging) would be
>far more useful in keeping yourself alive than that heirloom sword
>you've been dragging along ....

The archaeology and training manuals from the period suggest that they
completely useless. They still have some combat uses, and are still
reasonably useful for stabbing under the armor and in the face.  There
is reason to wonder if the more noble knights made use of these
techniques, or if they were just used by the professional soldiers.

...
let me rephrase ... useless as a *primary* weapon (those that relied on
them as such probably died off early on ... grin), being relegated to
secondary backups (for close in grappling where the heavier weaponry was
less effective) or for symbolic status.  note that i exclude great
swords from this general observation (german & swiss mercenaries can't
be all wrong .. eh?)

but then war had evolved from a clash of warriors, through the social
experimenst of chivalty, to the practicalities of the professional
war-field where effiecency of killing, practicality to those needs, and
the rise of the professional soldier drove the rapid development in
weapons & armour - and trampled chivalry into the mud of that same
field.

'wolf
... love arms & armour evolution ....